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BJP not to enter into post-poll alliance in J&K

Accusing Pakistan of working on its “unfinished agenda” to separate Jammu and Kashmir from India, BJP today said it is anti-separatists and will not give any concession to such forces.

“Pakistan is working on its unfinished agenda of separating the State of Jammu and Kashmir from India. The anti-India agenda of Pakistan is to work against Indian interest and they are still working on this agenda to separate the state of J&K from India,” senior BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

While addressing party’s vision seminar here, he said that BJP wants to bring “nationalistic” mainstream political parties in J&K.

“There is no concession for the separatist forces in Kashmir, but we will work for the welfare of the common people in the Valley as well. BJP will work for the welfare of the common people of Kashmir and we always will be anti-separatists,” he said.

Jaitley said that BJP is committed to provide secure and safe environment to the people of the State. “Humanity does not demand that terrorists kill innocent people, harass them, it does not demand death of the innocent citizens in the hands of police and security forces in anti-terrorist operations. We are committed to ensure security of the common citizens,” he said.

Commenting on the issue of regional discrimination being faced by the people of Jammu and Ladakh, Jaitley said that his party wants to end it.

“The residents of Jammu, Leh and Ladakh feel that they are discriminated, they are told to tolerate this discrimination as they are nationalist,” he said.

“You are nationalist so you are expected to suffer,” he said while referring to the distribution of resources, educational institutions and the division of Assembly seats between the three regions.

Jaitley said his party is committed to end the “regional imbalance” between the three regions of the State. He said that BJP’s mission 44 plus is aimed at ending the discrimination by empowering the people of the two “neglected regions” of the State.

“Mission 44 plus is crucial to have a say in governance, to have a say in politics, to have a political say for all the three regions of the State and to empower the neglected regions of Jammu, Leh and Ladakh,” Jaitley said.

Attacking the two regional parties, NC and PDP, he said, “NC and PDP have an agenda to marginalise the two regions and the Congress has an agenda to get along with any political party that forms the Government here”.

He said that prior to Parliamentary elections when BJP projected Narendra Modi as party’s Prime Minister candidate there were voices that said the party would become “isolated”.

“I said it would be majestic isolation, some parties may get away from us, but people of the country would come closer to us. There was an internal party debate on the issue as well, I had said that conventional arithmetic won’t work, some people said we will get around 200 to 220 seats, but we crossed 272 mark as we got 280 seats in the elections,” he said. (AGENCIES)